Three on the Trail

I really like this one. Nice to praise a Hoppy film for a change. Nothing untoward in the movie, and many things to praise: scenery, shoot-outs, acting, pleasant characters. Particularly enjoyable was the fussing about the new schoolmarm. She's helpless and friendless when she arrives in town by mistake. The saloon owner makes lecherous moves on her, but she is diverted to the Bar 20 ranch by Hoppy, who flirts with the bar girls in the saloon. Then Hoppy's pal Johnny has a go at her, going back and forth attracting her and then repelling her over some faux pas. Hoppy joins in too, as does Gaby Hayes.

A few minor issues I have with this movie as well as most B-Westerns. (1) At the end of these films, the bad guys are usually routed by the hero by setting a fire or using dynamite. Here Hoppy threw some dynamite into the basement of the saloon where the bad guys were holed up. (2) The bad guys made the usual mistake of trying to frame some good guys for the crimes. It leads to their downfall. They should have let well enough alone. (3) The top bad guy usually leads a double life as an honest citizen in town. Meanwhile his identity and gang are sought by the law abiding citizens. He leads a large gang and has a secret hideout for his men and the rustled cattle. He is often cruel to some of his gang. There is usually a big reward on him. Thus, it is surprising that one of his men doesn't turn him in for the reward.

A while ago, most (if not all) of the old Hopalong Cassidy B-westerns were completely restored. The prints not only look good, but are complete, as during the 1950s many of the famous cowboys' films were hacked to pieces to make them fit TV time slots. Fortunately, William Boyd (Cassidy) kept copies of the original prints and his family released them to YouTube.

The plot to "Three on the Trail" is rather familiar. In Mesquite, a local baddie, Pecos Kane (Onslow Stevens), controls the local sheriff and he's behind all sorts of criminal activities...including rustling and holding up the stage. The film begins with Hoppy and his pals witnessing one such hold up. But, since the sheriff only does what Kane tells him, the good people of town seem unable to do anything to stop this reign of terror....that is, until Hoppy gets involved. And, naturally, his two sidekicks, Johnny and Windy, are there to help....well, at least Windy. As for Johnny, he's incredibly impulsive and stupid...and seems to be more a liability than asset in this story. Can dopey Johnny redeem himself and can Hoppy, once again, save the day?

This is all pretty standard stuff for a Cassidy western except for how pig-headed and annoying Johnny was...that seemed out of the ordinary and wasn't particularly an example of good writing! Still, the rest of the film is good and it's nice to once again see Gabby Hayes as Windy. Worth seeing but only about average for a Hopalong Cassidy flick...which is still slightly better than average for a B-western.

A cheap, lowdown, underhanded, thieving, whiskey and woman peddler tries to frame Hoppy and his sidekick for a stage robbery. He and his bought and paid for sheriff convince a local rancher to press charges and offer a reward of "dead or alive" for the pair. But they made a mistake messing with this steely eyed two gun buckaroo. Clouds of gunsmoke and barrels of lead were expended in this exciting tale.

Hoppy and Johnny arrive in Mesquite to pick up supplies, while a stagecoach comes at the same time with a coach full of dance hall girls for the saloon owned by Pecos Kane, who also happens to organize a band of rustlers. Kane robs a stage with supplies for British rancher JP Ridley (who doesn't think all the robbing is abnormal for a western town) and kills the driver. Kane frames the crime on Johnny (through Sheriff Corwin, who is a stooge for Kane), primarily because Johnny became friendly with Mary Stevens, the new schoolmarm, whom Kane had his lustful eye on. Hoppy prevents Corwin from taking Johnny into jail, so Kane ambushes Johnny and Hoppy and takes them to an isolated spot in the desert so Kane can convince the townspeople of their guilt. Hoppy and Johnny escape and trek their way through the desert and back to the Bar 20 ranch where he convinces Corwin, the other ranchers and hands to apprehend Kane, who has barricaded himself in the saloon (with Mary) to engage in a shootout with the ranchers. Very good Hoppy film being most notable as the first appearance by Hayes in his Windy Halliday role. Stevens makes for a notable adversary for Hoppy, but the script really didn't make much use for his acting talents. Evans is cute, but all of her scenes are useless to the rest of the film. Bretherton made excellent use of the location scenery, making this one of the more visual Hoppy films. Excellent climax to the film. Rating, based on B westerns, 7.

Hopalong Cassidy and his Bar 20 sidekicks Jimmy Ellison and Gabby Hayes have their hands full in Three On The Trail. In one of my favorite John Wayne episodes Gabby had a line in there about how he believes in law and order, but 'depend on who's dishing it out'. That question could well be asked by Gabby in this film.

If anything Hoppy's always on the side of law and order, but not when it's bought and paid for by Onslow Stevens who's the local saloon owner and head of the local outlaws. He's got sheriff John St. Polis on his payroll through bribe and intimidation. He's also got another cattle owner, an Englishman played by Claude King thoroughly convinced he's the good guy here. King's a decent soul, but a bit thick.

That's what Bill Boyd has to deal with and in the end of course the riders of the Bar 20 ranch set law and order on a righteous path. Great shootout in the end.